Except the Mirror
by Petra Megami Assari
Summary: A strange old woman came one day to tell Seira about a mirror that had been stolen. But is she what she seems? And does she have more of a connection to the mirror than she wants them to believe?


Petra: Well, here it is, a Saint Tail fic. It was just a spur of the moment little thing that demanded it be written. *glares at Kati*   
Kati: *smiles sweetly* I didn't MAKE you...  
Petra: Yeah... sure... Anyways, I got this idea when I read through the entire series again. It's the only series I have at the moment that I like to read through. *sob* My Sailor Moon mangas are, literally, falling apart. Half of the third one's pages and all of the fourth one's pages have fallen out. *cries*  
Kati: *pats Petra's back reassuringly* Poor Mako-chan...  
  
DEDICATED: For everyone who knows in their heart that this is the only choice they would and/or could make.   
WARNING: Spoilers. If you haven't read/seen the Mirror act/episode you probably won't have any clue what's going on or what the hell I'm talking about. Also, I have only read the manga. I don't know if the anime sticks with the manga or not so, if it's confusing, I'm sorry.   
DISCLAIMER: *chibi-St.Tails walk out holding little signs* The signs read: Petra does not own Saint Tail. But we love her anyway. [Kati: Awww... *rolls eyes*]   
  
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Except the Mirror  
  
"Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense." -Mark Overby  
  
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Hasama stared at the altar in the front of the church, listening to the silence that prevailed. She appeared to be an old woman, her hair gray and held in a huge bun. Her black dress had a high lacy white collar and a white shawl was wrapped tightly around her. Her eyes, though, didn't seem to match the rest of her body; they sparkled with energy and youth, a bright blue like the shallow sea. She knew why she was here… now, if only…  
  
At that moment, she heard the door open and looked up to see a young nun, her habit all white, smile at her in greeting. Hasama nodded and her smile grew as the young nun walked over to her.   
  
"It's beautiful in here," Hasama said, looking back up at the altar but watching the nun out of the corner of her eye. She was the one she needed to talk to, she was sure. "So peaceful and quiet, it almost makes me forget my worries." She let out a long sigh, letting herself be a little over-dramatic.   
  
Just as she knew she would, the young nun took the bait. "Well, I'm Seira and I'm a nun in training. Maybe I can help you."   
  
Hasama ducked her head down as though her burdens had become too much for her but, in reality, she was hiding the sly smile that had stretched across her lips. Now she knew for sure that this was the one. "Well," she fingered the picture for a moment before and then handed it to Seira.   
  
"My…" Seira said, her eyes sparkling as she stared down at the beautifully simple mirror. "What a beautifully crafted mirror!"  
  
Hasama looked up, her eyes a little dreamy, a slight smile making her lips turn up slightly. "It was made for Princess Rosa of the Kingdom of Leche in the 17th century." She let the worry show on her face. "Actually the mirror, along with its appraisal form, has been stolen. "  
  
Seira looked up from the picture in surprise. "What?" escaped her lips before she could stop herself.   
  
Hasama looked down again, trying to make sure that Seira didn't see the smile that kept twitching at her lips. "I'm sure all the antique collectors in the world would want to own this mirror…" She couldn't help the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips. "It has a beautiful legend about the princess to go along with it." Her hands played with the shawl, letting her hands twist the cloth. "If a word of this were to go public, then there would be a huge commotion." She laced her fingers together and closed her eyes, the laughter so close to the surface at the idea of her looking so pleading. "I just want to live quietly with the mirror."  
  
Seira had been listening quietly and now she finally murmured, more to herself than Hasama, "I suppose you can't go to the police…"   
  
Hasama felt as though she was about to burst into giggles just at the idea of what she must look like. Somehow, though, she managed to get out, "Yes… I just pray that it will return to me."  
  
Hasama looked up, immediately felt something tingling in the air, like the way air felt right before a big lightening storm. Seira was standing in front of her, looking so serious, her hands laced together as she said, "I understand… Let us pray. I am sure the good Lord will watch over you."  
  
Hasama felt the energy radiating from the girl while they prayed and then smiled a goodbye as she got up, leaving Seira in the church. As she got outside she lifted her face up to the sun, letting its warmth bask over her. She looked around then walked behind the church, disappearing behind a grove of trees before reemerging in a small grove… except it wasn't her. If it weren't for her eyes, a person would never have recognized her. She was young, her hair a dark brown that fell to her waist in soft waves. She was unbuttoning the jacket on her dress and took it off to reveal a light blue, satin blouse.   
  
She looked around the grove and her mouth, which had been in a constant grin since she'd left the church, lost the dazzle it had once had. At that moment a pair of arms encircled her waist and the dazzle returned as she leaned against the man standing behind her.   
  
"How'd it go?" he whispered and she leaned back to kiss him, a quick kiss on the lips. He laughed, the sound low and hearty. "Did she take the bait?"  
  
"Yes," she whispered, turning around in her arms. His short hair was a dark brown with red highlights in it and his eyes were a soft brown that warmed her heart just to look into. There was a long silence as the two simply stood there, watching each other. The sudden sound of footsteps caused them to look up and over, where the entrance to the church was. They could barely see the girl, but they made out the color of the sunset, a golden orange that could only be natural.   
  
"Is that her?" he whispered and she nodded, listening to the door as it closed.   
  
"She'll do much good before they can finally be together," she whispered, a soft smile on her face. "And then he will do much good because of her."  
  
There was a pause and then he asked, "Do you still think it was worth it, Rosa?"  
  
She turned in surprise but her eyes softened and she lifted her hand to caress his cheek. "I would give up life itself, let alone a small kingdom, if it meant I could be with you even a moment." She was used to the question. He asked it everyday and, everyday, she gave him the same answer. It was now an expression that showed their love for each other even though at first it had been his fear. After all, he had only been a mirror maker.  
  
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IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you that wish it, DUE TO MY SPORADIC postings, I am offering you, the readers, A MAILING LIST to sign up to. When I finally UPDATE, I will SEND OUT AN EMAIL informing those of you that are on the list that I have finally updated. I need you to EMAIL me, telling that you wish to sign up, and whether it's for ORIGINAL FICTION or FANFICTION. I WILL NOT accept those people that ask to be up on it in a review because I can't be sure that email is real. The mailing list will ALSO OFFER the TITLES of those works that I am posting, the COUPLES (if any) that are in it, which FANDOM it is from, and whether it is a SEQUEL to anything.   
  
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Petra: Eh, it didn't turn out as well as I could have hoped. You all will have to tell me whether or not it was a surprise. I had the idea in my head after reading this part of the manga for the fifty-hundreth time. ^_^; Like I said before, it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped but I still like it.   
Kati: And in case you didn't get it, the old woman is really Rosa and the young man is the mirror-maker from the story.  
Petra: Mm-hm, and the "she" Rosa talks about in the third to last paragraph is Meimi and the "he" is Asuka Jr. *giggle* This story is so cute!  
Kati: Oh Lord, why must I be stuck with this human! This ditzy...  
Petra: *hits Kati*   
Kati: OW!!! Why you bit-  
Petra: *covers Kati's mouth* Well, anyways, have a great day/night.  
  
"I dream of a day when I can open my eyes, and my dreams won't disappear."   
-Rose Marie Ledam  
  
~Petra Megami Assari~  
*The Gentle Tiger Goddess* 


End file.
